Beverage bottles are conventionally formed with a flange or shoulder that projects out from the neck. One type of carrier that has been designed to support such bottles in a simple economical manner employs so-called starburst support tabs spaced about bottle neck openings in a carrier support panel. When the panel is pushed down over bottles aligned with the. neck openings, the tabs are pivoted up so that their edges engage the underside of the bottle shoulders. A handle, usually in the form of finger holes in the panel, enables a person to grasp and lift the carrier its supported bottles.
While this basic design is functional with relatively lightweight bottles, it generally needs to be strengthened to enable it to resist tearing or excessive downward bowing when subjected to severe lifting and carrying stresses. Various means have been suggested to reinforce carriers of this type in order to strengthen the support panel, including the use of additional plies of material to protect against tearing.degree. Although such measures provide additional protection against tearing of the panel, particularly in the handle area, they still do not adequately distribute lifting and carrying stresses under heavy loads.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a bottle support carrier which is capable of supporting heavy loads without tearing while retaining the simplicity and economy of the basic support tab design.